“I believe I can be just as good a Christian outside the church as I can be inside it.”
Why be a member of any church?
Because it’s a relationship that matters. The Bible simply never talks about Christians that aren’t involved in Christian community. The church is a critical tool for sustaining the Christian walk through a long life of obstacles. It is a God-given and God-blessed support group.
Membership to a congregation is a formal, mutual commitment between an individual and a body of Christians. The individual desires to be instructed by the pastors of a certain congregation, to be encouraged by the other members of that congregation, and to give encouragement to others. In turn, the congregation agrees to be responsible for watching over and helping the individual in spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. It is a relationship in which, yes, you are your brother’s keeper.
The member says, “Call me if you see I need a call.” The weekly visitor (who is certainly always welcome) says, “I'll call you if I think I need you.”
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him.
It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preacher's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.
The preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.
Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the preacher reached the door to leave, his host said in an emotional tone, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I will be back in church next Sunday.”
(- Author unknown)